The Lion and the Wolf
by LanceofManyNames
Summary: Legends appear across all time, so long as humans are there to tell them. But when legends are summoned from times mankind has forgotten, their fate lies in their battles. Will the flame be fueled once again? Or will the black soul of humanity find an unlikely guardian? Rated T for content.
1. Chapter 1

Bazett completed the ritual's chant, and the world was engulfed in light. Smoke from the explosion of prana began to subside, and Bazett and Kotomine Kirei looked to the center of the circle in hopes to see her hero, the great Cu Chulain resurrected from his death.

What stood in the circle, however, was not the Hound of Ulster. A figure clad in golden armor stood instead, his face obscured by a beautiful helmet carved in the likeness of a lion with a luscious red plum at the end. He towered over Bazett and Kotomine, his mere presence commanding power and authority. His gaze looked towards the woman, and a voice echoed from beneath the armor.

"Tell me mortal, are you the one, I am to bequeath the title 'Master' upon?" His tone was strong and commanding, like the growls of a lion that ruled over his herd with power and respect.

For a moment, Bazett's mind was frozen. This…being had just asked her if she was his master. The answer was obvious. She had to be his master; she had summoned him, whoever he was. But the words didn't form; her mind couldn't process the words. Kirei spotted an open opportunity, and allowed his lips to curl into a minute grin. Now was his chance.

Slowly, he reached for the black keys hidden up his sleeve, ready to cut down Bazett, to see the life in her eyes fade as he took this Servant for his own.

His brain barely registered the Servant's movements before the severed arm and huge gash appeared on his right chest muscle.

Kirei's screams of pain shocked Bazett out of her frozen state, and she turned to see the plot caught in action: the drawn black keys, the black blood, and the Servant standing on the other side of the room, his weapon drawn.

"Ahhh!"

"I asked the woman if she was my master. I did not ask you, traitorous priest. And she has yet to answer my question." The golden knight stared down at the priest, his gaze boring through the man's eyes and into his being.

"Thus, I am bound to hear her decision, and to protect her from any harm until such. Thus I will not let you have your wish."

The life of Kotomine Kirei faded away as the knight finished his declaration. With one last breath, he sighed in wonder, if God would welcome a broken human like he was.

The knight shifted his gaze to Bazett as his weapon vanished, and she was overcome by fear of this armored being.

"I will not repeat myself again. Woman, are you the person who summoned me to this war?"

Bazett trembled. Whoever this knight was, he was not human. But that was true of all Servants, as they were creatures beyond human ability. This being was above that. He deserved to be the leader in this war, not her. But if she backed down, she would be a Master without a Servant. And if his actions toward Kirei had been any sign, the power he held was beyond incredible. She steeled her will, and swallowed.

"Yes. I, Bazett Fraga McRemitz, do hereby accept this contract. If thou shalt serve as my sword and shield in this war, then I shall abide by our Contract."

A surge of pain ignited over her right hand, as if something were burning itself over the skin. Moments passed, and the pain vanished. She pulled off the rune-inscribed gloves to see the marks. Three symbols, each a condensed miracle, appeared on her hand.

Command Seals. The marks of a master chosen to fight in the Holy Grail War.

"The ritual is complete. On my honor, I, Servant Lancer, pledge to fight by your side in this Holy Grail War, master."

The golden knight kneeled himself before Bazett, but his height made her only stand slightly shorter than his head.

_Well, this wasn't what I expected_. Bazett thought.

A realization occurred to her.

"If you're here as a Lancer, then why didn't I see your weapon when you appeared?"

"My weapon's identity, though not recognized at first sight, is a significant part of my legend. If I were to display its power before anyone other than another Servant, I fear it might show my identity." His answer came without pause. His machine-like attitude unnerved Bazett.

"Do you think you could stop talking like I'm your king? I don't mean to offend, but I find it easier if we were equals in this."

The air chilled a few degrees.

"…As equals?" Lancer's tone dropped to barely a whisper, but it cut deeper than any sword could.

Bazett felt incomparably small as Lancer stood to his full height, his stride measured, and terrifying. With each step, Bazett inched away, her Servant's measured fury growing with each syllable.

"You, a mere mortal, dare suggest, that I lower myself, to an equal status as yourself?"

Bazett felt herself against the wall, cornered by the enormous warrior, his eyes locking her in place.

"I always knew that mortals had pride within themselves. But to believe you, even when only our ashes remain, would think US as being equals? I cannot believe such arrogance among humanity exists. Even if I am bound by you, Master," He raised an armored finger right at Bazett's heart.

"To compare your kind to mine is to compare a blade of grass to a mountain. You exist because we formed the ground you grew from." Lancer lowered himself so he could meet Bazett's eyes with his own.

"Never forget that."

Lancer broke the stare and walked off, his body shifting to spirit form, invisible to human eyes. Bazett slumped down as her body collapsed from what she'd faced. Her breath came in shallow panics of breath, and she was certain that her heart was now inside of her skull. Eventually, she regained her composure. However, the experience, and the words of her servant, remained. But one phrase kept repeating itself:

_'You exist because we formed the ground you grew from.'_

If Lancer wasn't lying, then he came from a time before human legends. And that meant, whoever Lancer was, boasted power perhaps without equal. She may have just won this Holy Grail War already.

"But how do I keep him from impaling me before that?" She murmured.

It was going to be a long war.


	2. Exploration

A/N: Here goes another chapter. As always, please review and critique!

* * *

Gilgamesh sat in silent thought on recent events. Given the lack of mana being supplied through Kotomine's contract, the false priest had failed in his plans to kill the woman and take her Servant. Leaving the King of Heroes without a permanent anchor to this world.

"Heh. Perhaps I should have endeavored to witness the summoning myself. That would have provided me some entertainment."

Of course, he'd have had to kill the woman before that, and killing such a lowlife as her personally was beneath him. Besides, even with the priest gone, it changed matters little. The only Servants left to be summoned were Archer and Saber. It mattered little who the bowman would be, none of the seven could overcome him. Saber though…

"Hmmm…perhaps another will answer the call before her?" His eyes glowed in intrigue. But the glow ceased as boredom overcame the feeling.

"But I doubt as much. She will answer the Grail's call to war. And when she does, I will be waiting."

He called from memory the chalice of wine he shared cups with in the last Grail War, and poured a full cup.

"Show me if this second farce is worth attending. The King of Heroes demands as such."

In one motion, Gilgamesh emptied the cup of its contents.

"Do you not know it is the highest insult to hold an audience with the king when he has not allowed such, mongrel?"

The air froze and a gasp broke the silence.

Gilgamesh snapped his fingers. The king's treasury opened and rained down its contents on the intruder, explosions echoing behind him before he stopped the barrage.

"You would think yourself able to catch me unawares? I knew you were here the moment you passed the threshold of this appalling structure."

Gilgamesh remained where he was, his eyes not even glancing to see his enemy. Again the voice came, from behind him. It was pained, gulping down breaths between wounds. He absently recognized its feminine quality.

"Damn…you." She hissed between pained breaths.

"I have already endured enough of your appalling presence. Be gone mongrel."

The presence vanished before he finished his decree, but he cared little. The intruder had understood the enormous gap between them, and made herself scarce. If she knew her place, he would never see her again.

"I think a midnight snack is in order."

And so, Gilgamesh descended beneath the church to feast.

It was a satisfying meal.

* * *

_Morning, The Next Day 1/31_

Lancer's mind wandered as he watched the humans outside. Somehow in the gods' absence, they had overcome the curse and grown not in mere numbers, but in magnitudes.

_How did they accomplish this? And how did they overcome what we could only halt?_

Lancer pondered for a moment, but could only think of two possible reasons: humanity was just too stubborn or too tenacious to simply accept the inevitable. How else did they find purpose in a dying world?

The golden knight looked over to Bazett. The woman was preoccupied with a map of the city, trying to discern notable landmarks.

"The skyscraper, the church, the temple, and the forest." Lancer said.

"What?" She replied.

"Those will be the ideal locations to scout. The first will provide location and landmarks; the second, given that its occupant tried to kill you, must have secrets hidden."

Bazett considered Lancer's reasoning, and found herself in agreement.

"What about the others?"

Lancer felt nostalgic and looked towards the open sky.

"The Grail, as I have been informed, has manifested along the four leylines of this city. As this is the Fifth Holy Grail War, it stands to reason it will manifest at the original location. As for the forest…"

Lancer went quiet, his gaze focused on the horizon.

"What is it? Can you sense a Servant there or something?"

_If that's true,_ Bazett thought,_ could Lancer have been some sort of hunter in his legend?_

"There is a barrier around that forest, a strong one at that. In my life, those who built such walls had power. But they needed time for that power to achieve deadly levels. During such times, they were vulnerable."

Bazett's eyes narrowed. She saw the hidden message.  
"You're saying we should try there first? I don't think so. That field could just be a trap set by one of the Masters, or Caster."

Lancer grunted his acknowledgement. Humans. So paranoid they never take the best opportunity, even when handed to them.

"We'll scout out landmarks tonight. If we meet any Servants,"

"Then they'll fall by my spear," Lancer coolly interrupted, "and we shall face one less enemy."

"No."

Lancer's mind stopped, unable to process what the mortal had just said. An ice cold gaze turned to Bazett.  
"Why not?" He asked slowly. Bazett saw the anger, but she knew this much about Lancer: he wouldn't argue commands if they had valid reason behind them.

"Because we don't know anything about the other servants. For all we know one could have a skill set custom-made to counter yours, or have a Noble Phantasm that reverses cause and effect just like…" her voice trailed off.

"The spearman. The one you had intended to call."

"Yeah." She replied. The seconds stretched on into eternity for the duo.

"We'll scout after nightfall and start at the skyscraper. We can work our way around if we stick to the rooftops. You can see the city for now, but don't go around unless in spirit form. You,"

A breeze passed through Bazett's hair and she saw the open window.

"Stand out." She sighed in defeat and returned to planning.

* * *

_Day and night. How strange,_ Lancer thought.

He watched the city from his perch on the bridge. In his time, not a soul would be found outside their homes after the sun had fallen. None save the mad or the twisted that is. Yet here he watched the golden orb slip beneath the distant horizon, and instead of panic there was a palpable energy as the city lit up with life.

Lancer snorted. "How human. They accept the dark yet fill it with their own light in fear of what lurks in the night."

Lancer looked towards the tallest tower in the city, the place of rendezvous his master had chosen. He leapt to the first building above three stories, materialized his physical body, and made his way to the lookout.


	3. Encounter

_**Encounter**_

Bazett looked at the sprawling city in front of her. Just at the edge of her vision she could make out the shape of the bridge which joined the old district with the metropolis. She checked her watch. 30 seconds to midnight. Lancer should be here in-

"Master. I have arrived."

-Five minutes. Bazett didn't reply.

"I take it by your reaction that I have arrived sooner than you expected." Bazett felt embarrassment color her cheeks, but she regained her composure just as swiftly.

"It's a bit surprising," she began, "but the fact you got here so early must mean that Agility ranking of yours isn't just for show."

"Indeed. Though I'd ask you not to jest so lightly of it, my swiftness was a great attribute of mine. I assure you, there are not three heroes in the entire Throne who may equal my speed."Bazett sighed.

Well, at least he can back up that ego of his, she thought.

"Since you're already here Lancer," she started, "what did you think of the city?"

"The layout is well-organized but the population grinds transportation to pathetic crawls, the commerce is good but merchandise in human taste is merely ostentatious without substance, and the architecture abandons all sense of appearance for pure functionality."

Bazett felt her jaw go slack as she looked at Lancer dumbstruck. Lancer returned the gaze with his own quizzical expression.

"Did you truly expect this opinion of mine to hold mortals in respectable status? I am not one to let my thoughts go unspoken." At last, Bazett returned to her real goal: scouting the city.

"Lancer…"

"Hm?"

"How long would it take you to cover the city?"

"Perhaps half an hour if I was quick about it. At the latest, it would take five minutes more."

Bazett let a low whistle loose. She smiled. She walked out to the city and stepped forward. Her toes stretched out into the open air, the wind whipping at her earrings to and fro.

"Well then," she said, "let's begin, Lancer." Without waiting, she let her body lean over the building and tilt towards certain death. But the golden knight was there, holding her like a bride and the fall became a guided leap to the next rooftop. The constant lifts and drops in g-forces would've sent any normal person vomiting mid-leap. For Bazett, the rush of air, the sense of weightlessness, and the surge of inertia, made the ride as euphoric as flying. But euphoria could wait.

"Master." Lancer's voice brought her back to reality.

"What is it?" she asked as they landed.

Lancer set her down and gave her a chance to orient herself.

"There is a presence emanating from this place. Powerful and ancient."

The 'location' was the church where Kirei had stayed. If Lancer could sense something powerful as far as the entrance, it had to be…

"Lancer, that presence you're feeling, is it a Servant?"

Lancer frowned beneath his helmet.

"By all rights, it should be. But," he paused, uneasy.

"What is it?" She asked. Her mind was already assessing points of ambush.

"The source is…whole. It is vexing. Servants do not have corporeal bodies, but the power I detect must be one."

"Shall we check it out?"

Lancer stayed quiet.

"I leave that choice to you, Master." He said, his voice neutral. Bazett eyed the church, dread rising from the building like the stench of an open grave as if warning anyone to leave. Any smart person would've already left.

"Well, let's see if that priest left anything we could use." Magi were smart. That didn't mean they never took risks.

"Lancer, stay in spirit form." An ineffectual grunt was all she got before he vanished.

* * *

**Tohsaka Manor, 12:00a.m.**

Rin checked the summoning circle in her basement for the last time. She could hardly contain her mounting excitement.

_One hour,_ she thought, _and I'll have it. The strongest card._

* * *

**Kotomine Church**

The church had changed. Bazett felt Lancer's presence shift around the room, trying to find the energy source.

"It is close," he said, "and was here recently, within the hour."

"Really?" The interior looked less like a building and more like a warzone. The floor was dotted with craters, some as large as car tires in width and depth. The wooden chairs, shattered. Some pieces were closer to shards than real parts. Yet, one of the chairs remained completely unharmed. Servant or not, whatever did this warranted a Sealing Designation.

"Do you not know it is the highest of crimes to enter the king's lodgings without his permission, mongrels?"

Bazett's spine turned to ice. Her body wouldn't move.

"Master!" Her reverie broke at Lancer's voice. His speed proved every bit worth its praise. The barrage of blades came a breadth short of her back, and the explosive force rode on her fingertips.

Crash!

Lancer tightened his grip around her. The field was unequal. His size would've limited any option save defending his master. He tumbled out of the explosion and sprinted towards the open area at the church's front. He reached to entrance and released Bazett from his side.

"Ack,ack,ack!" she gagged as air rushed back to her lungs. She looked at the church, smoke billowing out from its broken windows. From the heart of the spectacle, like a demon rising out of Hell itself, emerged a figure. His golden hair singed, his shirt and pants covered by dust.

"Tell me mongrel," the man said, "do you know what it takes to anger me?" Bazett jumped when he looked at her. "It is only the highest of crimes that invokes my ire. And you have disturbed my night immeasurably. For that, you die."

_**Gate of Babylon.**_

The air seemed to split apart, and from behind the man—no, the Servant—came a wall of Noble Phantasms. Weapons from every era, every continent, and every style emerged. Bazett's heart dropped to her stomach.

"Impossible." She murmured. Her knees went weak, and the truth came down on her. This was where she'd die. There was no escape, no hope, nothing. Not even Lancer could stop all those "arrows".

"Hm? Well now, it seems you've realized the depths of your folly. Now accept the penalty of your crimes with dignity."

Five "arrows" flew towards Bazett. She closed her eyes, awaiting cold steel to puncture her. She felt the air twist and whine, felt the force of one "arrow" exploding, felt the earth scrape her cheek. But…

"…What?"

She opened her eyes. Lancer's silhouette towered before her.

"…" The golden knight said nothing. It was then Bazett noticed the sword in his left hand. It was long and thin like a zweihander, yet Lancer held it like a dagger. She checked her body. No wounds, no curses, no poisons, nothing. On her right, she saw two maces protruding from the earth. To her left, a smoking crater was all that remained of the weapon. The figure glared at Lancer.

"How dare you," he growled, "to lay your filthy hands upon my,"

Lancer tossed the sword like an empty soda can, its blade ringing as it touched the ground.

The man choked on his words.

Finally, Lancer spoke. "Master," he began, "if thou ever show'st weakness or cowardice again, then thine life will be ended by me." He raised his right hand up to the sky. "To me, thou art my 'master' in nothing save name. You swore to entrust my fate to thee, and in return, I serve as the sword you wield." At the peak of his arc, a glow grew from his palm. "I shall not accept this covenant if my master is unwilling to face a war's horrors." The glow grew, elongated, transformed. Lancer gripped the shape, and the weapon revealed itself. An enormous spear appeared, its tip long enough to be a sword in length alone.

"Prove to me, that I was not wrong in my choice."

Despite her awe at Lancer's words, she realized their meaning. This was his test. She could run and die at her own Servant's hands, or face the danger and stand her ground. She smiled despite herself.

"Not leaving me much of a choice, you know," she stood up, and looked Gilgamesh in the eye.

"Don't worry Lancer. I won't run."

Lancer smiled. "Very well then, Master." His gaze locked on the Servant, and felt his blood boil with pride. His weapon gave a blinding flash at its tip, almost like it wished prove itself.

"Master, give me an order." Bazett looked at her enemy.

"Lancer."

He blinked.

"Take him down."


End file.
